If Nigel Foster made your boat, you can expect cutting-edge design and high performance. Seaward Kayaks’ Legend fits the bill. Its slender dimensions and hard chine aim it squarely at the confident paddler who enjoys edging and paddling. A committed beginner could also grow into this boat with some good instruction.

The Legend has been available for a few years and has been built by several different companies. Seaward’s version, available in fiberglass and Kevlar, is very well built, with obvious attention placed on fit and finish. Core-mat is used in the lay-up of the hull, resulting in a solid and performance-oriented boat. The deck lacks unnecessary bells and whistles and all the necessities—day hatches, safety line anchor and optional compass—are recessed to minimize spray. The three bulkheads are fiberglass with the rear cockpit bulkhead angled up to the edge of the coaming, resulting in virtually no water being left in the boat after a bow-tip-out rescue. Perimeter lines at the bow and stern provide easy hand-holds during rescues while grab handles are at the very ends of the boat.

The cockpit size, at 31" by 15", is ideal; it’s small enough to provide a good grip yet large enough to allow easy entry and egress. There’s also plenty of foot room. The composite seat is comfortable and supportive, but the plastic seat back lacks luxury.

At 17’10" long and 21" wide at the beam, the Legend has light initial stability but good hull speed and acceleration for efficient cruising, and it picks up speed for surf rides. On an even keel, tracking is reasonably stiff but the boat responds very well to edging. If edging isn’t your bag, then this probably isn’t the kayak for you. The hard chine and narrow beam make the boat very easy to lean and the boat feels stable on edge. A drop skeg is standard and worked well to overcome weather cocking in the wind. There isn’t a huge amount of stowage room but the careful packer can certainly do multi-day trips with no problem.

Far from being another "cookie-cutter" sea kayak, the Legend is clearly Foster’s expression of how he likes to paddle. It demands a certain level of competency and attention but rewards the active paddler with good speed, maneuverability and just plain fun. It’s a boat that makes you want to paddle it well.

--Alex Mathews
Boat Beta:
Length: 17’10" Width: 21" Weight: 57 lbs. Capacity: 300 lbs.

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